


i asked her if she loved me (she said she loved me some)

by tareth



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Coffee Shop, F/F, Gen, also douchey hershel :-(, but meghan is six in this, tara & beth are both four years older than canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-02-18
Packaged: 2018-03-13 13:03:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3382523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tareth/pseuds/tareth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in which coffee is mentioned. a lot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i asked her if she loved me (she said she loved me some)

**Author's Note:**

> request: fluffy coffee shop au for tareth.

“Whatever’s cheapest, please?” Beth is asked one morning, snow whirling in the air outside and an exhausted looking woman with unruly brown hair rooting through an empty purse and producing a lone dollar. “You know what? Forget it.”

Beth hesitates only temporarily, her father not present and no other customers around. “It’s fine. Take a seat, okay?”

“I actually have to be somewhere in fifteen,” is the quick (but honest) excuse given to her.

“I can get you a coffee in one,” Beth smiles, turning around to the large coffee machine and pressing the button of something that isn’t ‘whatever’s cheapest,’ but still not opting for something that would usually cost more than three dollars.

Beth slides a robust paper cup under the coffee tap and lets it fill up. “Any milk or sugar?” she asks.

“I have my own,” the stranger replies, eyes set on their phone but waving a sugar stick around.

“Hungry?” Beth inquires as she pops a plastic lid and a paper grip on the cup and walks around the counter.

“Um, kind of. Rest assured that I’m not stealing a croissant on top of coffee.”

Beth nods and offers the warm cup to the other. Whilst the stranger thanks her, Beth puts on a silly voice that mimics her father’s, and jokes, “just don’t go reportin’ lil ol’ Beth to my daddy, now!”

Tara stands up, pockets her phone and walks to the door. Just before she opens it, she turns, grins and says, “So long as you don’t go reporting Tara for theft, okay?”

“Have a nice day,” Beth exclaims, like she always does to customers. Tara waves through the window, and Beth waves back.

* * *

The next time Tara visits is during the middle of a Saturday afternoon, and she’s brought along a young girl with her.

“Aunt Tara, what does coffee taste like?”

“Something that takes a lot of getting used to,” Tara laughs. “Do you want a cake or hot chocolate?

The girl deliberates for a moment, suddenly declaring, “Both!”

Tara sighs as she reaches the back of the queue. “Why did I even ask?”

“Oh! Aunt Tara, can I order, please?”

“You’re six, Meghan.”

“And? Grandpa said he started working at age six!”

“Do you even know what I want?” Tara teases.

“Umm... Café corn lech!”

“Café con leche, silly. It’s Spanish for coffee with milk.”

“It’s so cool that you know Spanish!”

“I don’t know Spanish, but I’m still cool.”

“Sure,” the six-year-old mocks surprisingly sarcastically.

“How dare you?” Tara feigns offense, bringing a hand over her heart. She doesn’t even realise that they’ve reached the counter until Meghan is squealing about which cake she wants

Tara lifts her up so she can talk to the barista, who happens to be Beth. “Hot chocolate with marshmallows and also the cake with the butterfly on it and also a coffee with milk,” Meghan says, her voice turning to monotone.

“Sure thing, Miss,” Beth jokes, causing Meghan to giggle and Tara to smile.

This time, she has sufficient money.

“Five dollars and sixty five cents?” Beth asks, placing the three items on the counter.

Tara gives her seven dollars and ninety cents and asks quietly, “Does that make up for the other coffee?”

“What?” Meghan yells.

Beth smiles with a subtle nod and forks the money into the till. “She yours?” Beth asks Tara, referring to Meghan, passing the receipt over.

Tara shakes her head no. Meghan exclaims, “Ew! Gross!” and her hands grab out for her treats.

Beth passes her the cake before either the coffee or the hot chocolate is spilled.

“Thanks,” Tara says through a derivation of a laugh. “Meghan, I’m gonna have to let you down now. D’you wanna find a seat?”

Meghan nods and when her feet touch the floor, she runs to a two-person table that’s uncomfortably close to the counter and hops up onto a chair. Tara apologises for her niece and takes the two drinks to the table.

“Have a nice day.”

“Try not to make a mess, please? Especially not on your new top.”

“Ugh, fine. You’re so boring.”

“I’m just trying not to be killed by your mom,” Tara explains. “Do you want a straw for your drink? The mug is hot.”

Meghan nods, cake in her mouth and all around it.

Tara hops up and takes a plastic straw wrapped in cellophane from the stand offering napkins, sugar, and tiny milk cartons, amongst other things. Tara takes a couple of each. Especially the napkins.

Tara sits down again and Meghan starts eating the melting marshmallow messily, eliciting yet another sigh from Tara.

Then,from behind the counter, Tara hears Beth yelling that it’s Maggie’s turn at the counter. She swears that she hears Beth grumble ‘Naggie’ as well, but maybe that was just some peculiar affect of accompanying a six-year-old girl around town since eight in the morning.

“Beth, you still have twenty seconds left on serving duty,” Tara can hear a brand new voice say. It’s masculine and old and breathy, and totally unsuited to the name ‘Maggie.’

“Is there anyone left to serve, Daddy?” Beth retorts.

“No, but-” “Exactly. Please, I want to do something besides stand here and give people hot drinks for three hours everyday.”

Tara steals a marshmallow from her niece’s cup. “Hey! Aunt Tara, give it back!”

She pops it in her mouth and smiles smugly as she chews.

It was a grand enough display to take the man’s attention away from berating Beth and instead to hoping that a young child doesn’t spill anything or attack anybody in his shop that a bell goes off.

“Shift over,” Beth declares, walking past the counter rather angrily and out of the shop. Tara blinks in shock, Beth appearing as a completely different person from the kind, all-smiles, free coffee giver that she had met on Thursday morning.

* * *

It’s been two weeks of coffee and tips and when Beth comes around to wipe her table from the day’s coffee stains, Tara finally asks, “If you don’t want to work here, why do you?”

Beth shrugs. “It’s my dad’s shop, and-”

“Cut the crap, Beth.”

She fiddles with the cleaning rag in her hands. “Because I look amazing in this uniform, duh.” There’s a nervous laugh on the end.

“Of course. Dumb question.”

Beth gingerly sits down opposite Tara and tells her how she missed her final English exam because her ex decided to pretend to drive her home after a date but ended up taking her to a football game three states over the night before, and not taking her back when she asked.

“People won’t let you work for them without your English qualifications.”

Beth nods.

“Just ask to retake them.”

“What, high-school exams?” Beth responds with a slight sniffle. “I’m twenty-one.”

Tara reaches over the table for Beth’s hand. “Heck yes, you’re retaking those high-school exams,” she says seriously.

Beth laughs and rests her other hand over Tara’s. “Heck yes, I am.”


End file.
